As the Town Council works toward establishing a wind turbine policy for Middletown, it has stated that it needs more input from residents. To that end, town officials are encouraging residents to complete a survey that was posted on the town’s website last night. A link to the survey is prominent on the homepage of the town website. There is also direct access to the Middletown Wind Turbine Survey url.

The survey includes 13 questions about wind turbines in general and about their impact specifically in Middletown; several demographic questions are included at the end of the survey. The results will be posted on the town’s website in January, so townspeople are encouraged to complete the survey this month.

Although Middletown passed a wind turbine ordinance in February 2010, there has been a moratorium on wind turbine permits since March 2011, in response to objections related to a permit application (ultimately withdrawn) for a large wind turbine on a private property near Second Beach.

The Town Council recently voted to extend the moratorium until June 2012 to allow time to gather more information, both from scientific studies currently underway by state agencies and from opinions within the town.

“Your participation in this survey will be helpful in gauging public support of or opposition to wind turbine development in Middletown,” states the introduction to the survey. To date, only the most passionate wind turbine supporters or opponents have voiced opinions during public forums; the town is now seeking a broad base of input.